Igniter for matches



hb2-2,1952 R. A. 'rou/nas Y 2,604,390

IGN ITER FOR MATCHES Filed NOV. 29, 1950 Y FW /5 0 l j l 9 14 lz 2619 mi 20 13 4 :Ei-S'. E'. 11.

I NVENTOR be depressed independently of the other.

Patented July Y22, 1195.2

IGNITER Foa MATCHES Reginald Arthur Tombs; Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application November 29, 1950, Serial No. 198,060

My invention relates to improvements in igniters for ordinary matches, and it has for its primary object to provide a mechanical device by which a match can be ignited by inserting the head end in an opening and pressing it against an actuator by which the head is caused to be struck by a pointed prong and thus ignited.

The invention provides a simple and serviceable igniter for matches. It saves having to strike a match with a brushing action against an abrasive surface of a match box or the like. Furthermore it is advantageous as a safety device in that the match head is surrounded by a case while being struck and therefore any naming particles which may incidentally fly off the match cannot do harm because of the enclosure.

The match igniter of the present invention is sturdy in construction and inexpensive to manufacture. It is well suited to be made up as a part of a match holder for use on desks and tables, for example.

The invention essentially comprises a pair of resilient members mounted upon a support one above the other and arranged so that each may The lower of the two resilient members carries a sharp prong which is pointed upwardly.

'I'he upper of the two resilient members is provided with an upwardly directed opening in register with said prong. This opening is of a size to admit said prong but not the head of a match. At the upper end of said opening the upper'resilient member is supplied with a surrounding seat against which the head of a match is placed to depress the upper resilient member. In the downward movement a trip plate bears on the lower resilient member to depress it and as it is depressed a cam disengages it from the trip plate to enable it to abruptly fly upwardly so that the prong will penetrate the match head to ignite the match.

A selected embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the invention in which the igniter is embodied in a match holder.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the upper resilient member partly depressed and the trip plate engaged with the lower resilient member.

Fig. 4 is a further sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the upper resilient member further depressed and also showing the lower resilient member depressed with the trip plate moved to the extreme free end of the lower resilient member for a tripping operation.

9 claims. (ci. i4- 48) Fig. is a still further sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the lower resilient member released by the trip plate and rebounded upwardly to cause the `prong to strike the head of the match. l v

Fig. 6 is an end view of the igniter, and

Fig. -7 is a perspective view of the upper resilient member. l

For the purpose of illustration the igniter of the present invention is shown as mounted on the base 8 of a match holder 9. The holder is of the type which rests upon a table or other supporting surface and supplies, a receptacle in which is held a number of matches, designated at I0.

The lower resilient member is indicated at II and the upper resilient member is indicated at I2. The members II and I2 are fiat leaf-like strips of spring metal rmly fastened at an end to the base 8 and spaced one above the other in longitudinal alignment. The fastening and spacing means are of ordinary character and comprise the screws I3 and the distance pieces I4. Modication in the mode of attaching the members I I and I2 by their ends to the supporting base could of course be resorted to, if so desired.

.. The lower member I I is made of a stouter material than member I2 in order that it may possess greater stiffness. Nearrits free end I5 it is provided with a prong IB which is sharply pointed upwardly from the top face thereof. The upper member I2 is apertured near its free end to provide a small opening I'I to admit the prong I6. The opening II is not large enough to admit the head of ,a match. The member I2 can therefore be depressed by a match placed over the opening I'I and pressed downwardly. Said opening is located to come into register with the prong I6 when the lower member I I and the upper member I2 are -brought together as in Fig. 5. Preferably the upper member I I is provided at its free end with a flared mouth I8 at the opening II in order to seat the head of a match and to centre it with respect to this opening. 'I'he flared mouth is supplied by a boss I9, in the present disclosure.

The invention comprises means for causing the members II and I2 to come together with a snap action when the upper member is depressed by a match. The means desirably includes a trip plate 20 and a tripping cam 2 I. The trip plate is hinged at 22 to the free end of the upper member II to hang freely therefrom with its hinge-axis extending transversely. The trip plate is so located longitudinally of the upper member I I that its lower edge will engage and rest on the Vfree edge of the lower member I2 when the upper member is depressed. A spring 23 yieldably retains the trip plate against outward movement for which purpose it is fastened to the upper member I I and provided with an arm bent over the trip plate. Obviously, another form of spring could be used if so desired.

The tripping cam 2 I is fixed on the base 8 alongside of the lower member I2 and has-a cam face 24 extending in upward direction and inclined inwardly beneath the trip plate. Preferably there are two such trip plates, one on each side of the upper member I2. The upper and lower members II and I2 along with the trip plate and the cam are enclosed in a case 25 attached to the base 8 and provided with an opening 26 in the top wall thereof to admit a match. The opening 25 may be outwardly flared or otherwise shaped to facilitate insertion of the head end of a match.

- In the use ofy the .match lighter a match is ignited by inserting the head end in the opening 26 :upper member I2 may be assisted by a coilspring What I claim is:

1. A match igniting device comprising a base, upper and lower members supported on said base in a manner to be resiliently depressed, said members being arranged horizontally in spaced parallel relation, said upper member having an opening of a size insuicient to admit the head of a l match placed against this member to depress it, Yarprong onl said lower member'and pointed upwardly, said prong being located to enter said opening for striking the match-head when said members are brought together, and actuating means operated by a depressional movement of y said upper member for imparting a simultaneous lowering movement to said lower member, said actuating means being devised to abruptly release said lower member for a quick return movement during descent of said upper member.

2. A device as ldefined in claim l, and in which the upper andthe'lower members are enclosed in acase having a top wall portion apertured at the opening in the upper member to admit a match.

3. A match igniting device comprising a base, upperand lower members supported on said base in a manner to be resiliently depressed, said members being arranged horizontally in spaced parallel relation, said upper member having an opening of a size insufli ient to' admit the head of a match placed against this'member to` depress it, a prong on said lower member and pointed upwardly, said prong being located to enter said opening for striking thematch-head when'said members are brought together, a trip plate on said upper member for engaging said lower member to lower it in unison with the depression of said upper member, and a cam device for disengaging said trip plate. g l ,Y n

4. A match igniting device` `comprising a base, a pairof leaf-,like resilient members arranged substantially horizontally one over the other in spaced parallelrelati'on, means'fastenin'gone end of said members to said base, the upper of said members having a free end provided at its upper side with a seat for the head of a match to enable the upper member to be depressed by the match, said seat being centrally apertured to expose at the bottom of the upper member a part of the match head, a prong on the free end of the lower of said pair of members, said prong being pointed upwardly and disposed to enter the aperture in said seat when said members are brought together, and means operated by a depressional movement of said upper member for simultaneously imparting a lowering movement to said lower member, said actuating means being devised to abruptly release said lower member for a quick return movement during descent of said upper member.

5. A match igniting device comprising a base, a pair of elongated plates of spring metal, means attaching an end of each of said plates to said V base with the plates extending substantially horizontally in spaced parallel relation one above the other, the upper plate of the pair having an aperture in its free end with a surrounding seat for a match head, said aperture being of a size insufficient for the match head to pass therethrough, said seat being at the top side of the upper plate, a pointed prong on the lower plate of the pair and located to enter said aperture when the plates are brought together, a trip plate on said upper plate for depressing the lower plate when the upper plate is being depressed, and cam means for disengaging said trip plate in the depressional movement of the upper plate.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5, and in which the trip plate is hingedly attached to the upper plate to depend therefrom so that its lower part will engage the lower plate, and in which the cam means includes a cam surface disposed to disengage the trip plate from the lower plate.

7. A device as set forth in claim 5, and in which the trip plate is hingedly attached to the upper plate and spring retained to a depending position to edgewise engage the lower plate, and in which the cam means provides a cam face disposed to disengage the tripplate from the lower plate.

8. A match igniting device comprising a support, a lower resilient` plate fastened on said support at an end to extend substantially in a horizontal direction, an upper resilient plate fastened on said support at an end to extend over said lower plate in spaced parallel relation, said upper plate having at its distal end an opening surrounded by an upper seating surface for the head of a match, a prong on the distal end of said lower plate',` said prong being pointed upwardly and disposed to enter said opening to strike the match head when said upper and lower plates are brought together, a trip plate hingedly depending from the distal end of said upper plate to engage the distal end of said lower plate, a cam having a face forV disengaging said trip plate from said lower plate, and spring means attached to said upper plate for reverting said trip plate to its depending position in which it is engagedwith said distal end of the upper plate.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8, and in which a case encloses the upper plate, the lower plate, the trip plate and the cam, and in which the case has an apertured wall portion over the seating surface of the upper plate to admit a match.

REGINALD ARTHUR. TOMBS.

No references cited. 

8. A MATCH IGNITING DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT, A LOWER RESILIENT PLATE FASTENED ON SAID SUPPORT AT AN END TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, AN UPPER RESILIENT PLATE FASTENED ON SAID SUPPORT AT AN END TO EXTEND OVER SAID LOWER PLATE IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION, SAID UPPER PLATE HAVING AT ITS DISTAL END AN OPENING SURROUNDED BY AN UPPER SEATING SURFACE FOR THE HEAD OF A MATCH, A PRONG ON THE DISTAL END OF SAID LOWER PLATE, SAID PRONG BEING POINTED UPWARDLY AND DISPOSED TO ENTER SAID OPENING TO STRIKE THE MATCH HEAD WHEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER PLATES ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER, A STRIP PLATE HINGEDLY DEPENDING FROM THE DISTAL END OF SAID UPPER PLATE TO ENGAGE THE DISTAL END OF SAID LOWER PLATE, A CAM HAVING A FACE FOR DISENGAGING SAID TRIP PLATE FROM SAID LOWER PLATE, AND SPRING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID UPPER PLATE FOR REVERTING SAID TRIP PLATE TO ITS DEPENDING POSITION IN WHICH IT IS ENGAGED WITH SAID DISTAL END OF THE UPPER PLATE. 